Synergist - February 2010

EPA to Strengthen Oversight of Pesticide Health Risks

EPA announced in December that it would undertake a more thorough assessment of pesticide risks to workers. The new assessments would consider aggregate pesticide exposures from all sources in addition to the cumulative effects from multiple pesticides that have similar toxicity. Comments on the proposal are due Feb. 8.

For more information, visit www.epa.gov/pesticides/ health/ worker-rsk-assmnt.html.

IARC Releases Summary of Evaluations

In October, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) released summary reports of a working group that reassessed the carcinogenicity of a number of substances, including formaldehyde, aflatoxins and benzene. The working group confirmed that these substances, among others, are carcinogenic to humans. The summary reports are available at http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/ Meetings/vol100F-evalua tions.pdf.

Low-level Noise Exposure May Cause Permanent
Hearing Loss, Study Finds

A paper published in the Nov. 11, 2009 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience concludes that noise exposures thought to result in temporary hearing loss may actually cause permanent damage. In the study, mice subjected to moderate levels of noise experienced delayed degeneration of the cochlear nerve, which can lead to hearing difficulties in noisy environments. An abstract of the study is available at www.jneurosci.org/cgi/content/abstract/29/45/14077.

OSHA to Hold Public Hearings on GHS OSHA will hold three informal public hearings on its proposal to align its Hazard Communication Standard with the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS). Hearings will be held March 2 in Washington, D.C.; March 31 in Pittsburgh, Pa.; and April 13 in Los Angeles, Calif. The GHS proposal was published in the Federal Register on Sept. 30, 2009.

MSHA Commemorates 40th Anniversary of Coal Act

In December, Joseph A. Main, assistant secretary of labor for the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), observed the 40th anniversary of the passage of the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969. The act greatly increased government’s ability to enforce safety in coal mines, mandated annual inspections, instituted mandatory fines, and permitted criminal penalties for willful violations.

Known as the Coal Act, the law also regulated the amount of respirable coal dust in underground mines and provided government benefits for miners disabled by black lung disease. Main stated that the act “instituted the strongest and most comprehensive occupational safety and health protections that had ever been enacted in the U.S.” and credited the law with paving the way for the establishment of OSHA in 1970 and MSHA in 1977.

According to Main, from 1929 to 1969, more than 800 miners died annually in the U.S. The number of fatalities has dropped to 83 per year in the 40 years since the Coal Act became law. “Improved technology, mine health and safety management systems and other interventions aided in reducing mining deaths. However, the Coal Act has to be credited with much of the decline in deaths,” Main said.

“Far too many miners have died. Too many are still dying.
But progress has been made.”
Signed into law on Dec. 30, 1969, the Coal Act was part of
the federal government’s response to the November 1968
tragedy that killed 78 miners in Farmington, W.Va.

For the complete text of Main’s statement, visit www.msha.gov/FromtheDesk/FromtheDesk.asp.

South African Agency Concerned about Noise Levels for
Soccer World Cup

An article in the Dec. 11, 2009, edition of Engineering News Online reports that South Africa’s National Occupational Safety and Health Board is concerned that noise exposures at the country’s soccer stadiums for the 2010 World Cup tournament could exceed the legal occupational limit of 85 dB for an eight-hour period. The agency was preparing to consult with the South African government about the issue and planned to meet with the tournament’s organizing committee.